Ribs on the River this weekend in Yorkville

YORKVILLE – The annual Ribs on the River Weekend festival will once again transform downtown Yorkville into “Porkville.”

Shay Remus, superintendent of recreation for the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department, expects over 5,000 people to descend on Bicentennial Park, 131 E. Hydraulic Ave., Yorkville, this Friday and Saturday, July 15 and 16. The event is hosted by the Yorkville Chamber of Commerce, the city of Yorkville and the Chicago Whitewater Association.

Friday’s River Night will feature a cardboard boat race with three race categories: corporate, build at home and build on site. The first race will take place at 6 p.m. Race organizer Stephanie Roskopf of Yorkville Auto Body said those interested in building on-site should arrive by 5 p.m., and that race is limited to the first 15 participants. Registration begins around 4 p.m.

“Do not be afraid of duct tape,” Roskopf suggested. “It will be your friend. We do supply life vests just in case [the boat] does not stay afloat.”

Friday’s River Night also features food vendors and a beer tent from 5 to 10 p.m., and a free family activity area with bounce houses, face painting, arts and crafts and performances. The band Red Woody will take the stage from 7 until 10 p.m. to provide musical entertainment.

Organizers of the Illinois Whitewater Festival, which is held in conjunction with River Night and Ribs on the River, expect even more participants in 2016. Festivalgoers can participate – or just spectate – during Friday night’s Cardboard Boat Race or Saturday’s Buttercup Slalom race and BoaterCross. Kayakers from all over the United States are expected to compete.

Andy Cocallas, president of the Chicago Whitewater Association, which organizes the races, said online registration ends July 13, but day-of registration is available. To learn more about race registration, visit https://cwa.wildapricot.org/event-2259556.

“We plan to close registration if we get about 75 participants, and last year we had 53 with lots of spectators,” Cocallas said.

Remus said the whitewater kayaking is something unique to experience.

“You get to see a ton of kayakers come through and compete and do all the different competitions,” Remus said. “I think it’s really just a neat thing that not a lot of people in Illinois get to experience.”

Remus said the cook-off portion of the Ribs on the River event Saturday will not take place this year. Barbecue will still be offered by the Knights of Columbus and Southbank Original Barbecue, located just down the street from the festival at 129 E. Hydraulic St., Yorkville.

“The Knights of Columbus were our winners last year – they were voted ‘Best Ribs’ – and they will be providing ribs to keep up with that Ribs on the River tradition,” Remus said.

Other vendors, like Rosati’s and Pepe’s, will also have food available for those looking for more variety.

Remus said there is still a chance the organizers would bring back the cook-off.

“At this point, it’s definitely an option. We want to see how this year goes with focusing more on the whitewater portion of the event,” she said.

Saturday’s events begin at 10 a.m. with food vendors and the beer tent opening. A full lineup of country music artists will perform, beginning with the County Line Brothers from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., followed by Whiskey Romance from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and headlining Back Country Roads from 7:30 until the festival ends at 10:30 p.m. The family area will be open from 1 to 6 p.m.

“This year, we focused our music [for Ribs on the River] on country bands. All of them are very popular bands that we believe should bring in a pretty good draw,” Remus said.

For information about the weekend’s events, visit RibsontheRiver.com.